William e



(No Model) v W. R. CHASE.

' LAST.

Patented July 26, 1887.

UN TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM It. CHASE, OF LYNN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO CHARLES A. SHAV, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LAST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No- 367,091, dated July 26,1887.

/ Application filed April 30, 1887. Serial No. 236,666. No model.)

To all z'ilhom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. CHASE, of Lynn, in the county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Lasts for Boots or Shoes, of which the following is a description sudiciently full, clear, and exact to'enable any per son skilled in the art or science to which said invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 represents a last in which the block is secured to the body by a string in the ordinary manner; Fig. 2, a side elevation of a last embodying my improvement, the cord and block being represented as Withdrawn; Fig.

3, a side elevation showing the block in position for use in the boot or shoe, a portion of the body of the last, and also of'the block and cord, being represented as broken off; Fig. 4, a vertical longitudinal section of my improved last, showing the construction of the block and arrangement of the cord therein; and Fig. 5, a view showing an alternative method of securing the cord to the body of the last.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawings.

My invention relates to that class of lasts for boots and shoes which are provided with blocks; and it consists in a novel construction and arrangement of the parts, as hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed, by which certain defects are overcome and a more desirable article of this character produced than is now in ordinary use.

In the drawings, A represents the body of the last, and B the block.

To prevent the block from-becoming disconnected from the body and misplacedor lost during the various processes of lasting and finishing the boot or shoe, it is usual to form transverse holes a in the body and block andtie them together with a string, at, as shown in Fig. 1. This method of securing the block to the body of the last is, however, 0bjeotionable, as the string is liable to be caught by the spindle O of the jack and cut off or broken as said spindle enters the socket t in the body A, thereby rendering the block liable tobe mislaid or lostif not immediately reconnected by a new string, and if so reconnected delaying the work to perform the op eration. The string on is also liable to accidentally fall down between the upper and last before the last is put onto the jack, and the boot or shoe to be lasted and partially finished with it in that position, thereby forming a ridgeor corrugation in the upper which it is difficult to remove.

My invention is designed to obviate these and other objections, and to that end I make use of means which will be readily understood by all conversant with such matters from the following explanation.

. A centrally-arranged hole, f, is boredin the upper portion of the block B, said hole extending longitudinally through said block from the point r at its outer end to the point 1; on its lower side, as best seen in Fig. 4. A centrally-arranged groove, 2, is cut longitudinally in the bottom or lower face of the block, said groove andthe hole f intersecting at or near the point 12 and forming an opening in the interior of the last, in which the body or main portion of the cord is disposed or housed when the block is seated, as hereinafter described.

I deem it p referable not to extend the groove outwardly through the top of the block, but to leave its upper or outer end closed, as shown at i,to'prevent the entrance of small pieces of leather, tacks, &c.', tointerfere with seating the block; but said groove may be extended outwardly through the upper end of the block, if desired. I also deem it preferable to so form the hole f that its lower or inner end will open through the lower face of the block at or near the point 1); but, if pre ferred, it may open through the extremelower end of theblock, or at any other suitable point in that vicinity.

In the rear portion of the body of the last I form ahole, I). This hole extends from a point at or near the center of the block-seat it outward through the side of the body, as shown end of the cord being provided with a knot, Z. The knot 11 is drawn into the countersink or enlarged outer end of the hole I), to prevent it from interfering with the upper of the boot or shoe, and the knot Z is preferably so tied as to rest against the upper end of the block when the last and block are in position forusein the boot or shoe, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4-.

Instead of forming a hole, b, in the body A to receive one end of the attaching-cord D, a vertical socket or hole, 9 may be formed in said body at or near the center of the blockseat h and near the upper end thereof, in which one end of said cord may be inserted and secured to the body by means of a plug, j. Any other suitable means may also be employed for securin g the cord to the bod yas, for instance, a staple or screw; but I prefer the hole D and knot d, as these afford a simple and inexpensive means of attaching the cord and enable it to be readily removed when broken or worn out to substitute a new one.

In the use of my improvement it will be obvious that the block B may be readily with drawn when in the boot or shoe by pulling on the end is or knot l of the cord D.

I do not confine myself to forming thegroove z in the block 13, as it may be formed in the body A, or partly in said body and partly in said block, as preferred, or to any special means of securing the cord D to the body of the last, or to the use of the knots Z (1, as, instead of the knots, eollets or clips may be attached to the cord to serve the same purpose, and instead of opening through the upper end of the block, as shown, the holef may open at or near the point 10, if preferred.

It will also be obvious that when my improved last is in use in the boot or shoe the body or principal portion of the cord D is en tirely concealed or housed in the last, its ends only being exposed, and that it is not liableto be broken by the spindle of the jack, to accidentall y get between the upper and last, or to otherwise interfere with the work.

Having thus explained my invention,what I claim is 1. In a last for boots or shoes, the combination herein described of a body, a block, and a cord connecting said block and body, one end of said cord being attached to the body and the other to the block, and said last provided with an opening in its interior, in which the main portion of said cord is disposed or housed when the block is seated, substantially as described.

2. In a last for boots or shoes, the combination of the following instrumentalities, to wit: a body, a block adapted to be seated on said body, and a cord for eonneetingsaid block and said body, the body or main portion of said cord when the block is seated being disposed or housed partially in ahole extending length wise through said block and partially in a groove in the interior of the last, one end of said cord being secured to the rear portion of said body and the other protruding through the rear or outer end of saidhole, and provided with a knot or means for preventing it from being accidentally pulled into said hole, sub stantially as described.

3. In a last for boots or shoes, the body A, provided with the hole b, the block B,provided with the holef and groove .0, and the cord D, provided with the knots Zrl, combined and arranged to operate substantially as specified.

4. In a last for boots or shoes, the block B, provided with the holef and groove 2', in combination with the string D, inserted in said hole, and having one of its ends provided with the knot land the other secured to the rear portion of the body A, substantially as described.

\VILLIAM R. CHASE.

\Vitncsses:

O. M. SILUV, E. L. SAWYER. 

